The USAID Cambodia Green Future Activity works to build citizens’ and civil society organizations’ knowledge and skills to use evidence-based communication to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resource management. The project is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through ECODIT as the prime contractor.
FHI 360 is leading the social and behavior change communication (SBCC) component of the project. We are working with young people to engage their communities on the topics of decreasing demand for luxury wood furniture and reducing bush meat consumption and littering.
The project advocates for the One Health approach, recognizing that reducing bush meat consumption, deforestation and pollution plays an important role in safeguarding ecosystems and the services they provide to human health.
Important activities of the project include:
- Forming Green Groups comprising young people (volunteers), who lead communication activities to decrease demand for luxury wood furniture and reduce bush meat consumption and littering. The project supports members of the Green Groups by providing access to SBCC toolkits and connecting members to opportunities for collaboration with a professional creative agency.
- Designing strategic messages on biodiversity and forest protection to increase the number of young people who perceive the importance of biodiversity conservation and forest protection in Cambodia. The messages also aim to strengthen young people’s personal commitment to protecting biodiversity and ecosystems.
- Conducting a social network analysis to understand and tap into the existing relationships among key organizations working in the areas of biodiversity conservation, forest protection and natural resource management in Cambodia to meet the project’s goals.
- Generating knowledge on the drivers of illegal logging, bush meat consumption and littering practices and how these behaviors are being affected by communication efforts.
- Expanding multisectoral partnerships and supporting local organizations in advocating for biodiversity conservation, forest protection and improved natural resource management.
